The Secret of the Elements
by xwLic
Summary: AU modernverse, but in an AU. Katara has just started at Element's Academy, a boarding school notorious for sending out elite benders. She makes plenty of friends, but... something isn't quite right. Why is it that only she and a boy that she hates can se
1. Boy with Golden Eyes

**A/N So, I decided I really, really wanted to write a moderverse Zutara. But, while it is modernverse, it's sort of… a different universe. AU that is modern, I guess. So you know what? I did. This, too, will prolly have a lot of songs. Because… well… I love musica. Anyway, just to set the mood… and because it is stuck in my head… the first song is…**

**Changed. It was going to be _High School Never Ends_, but then I found this one. And know what? I like it better! Also, the Airnation is still… alive here. And Aang is fourteen, like Katara. Necessary. You shall see…**

_Met my match today  
Felt the blood rushing and mingling  
A curious and enigmatic thing  
Now spiders in my dreams...  
Synchronicity weaves like a web  
When you were meant to be a meal!_

I want you bad!  
I want you bad!  
I understand why they say,  
"High school never ends"

(I'll) never act my age  
(But) you can tell by the lines in my smile  
That I have been around for awhile  
So, insecurities  
Are about as useful as trying  
To put the pin back in the grenade

I want you bad!  
I want you bad!  
I understand why they say,  
"High school never ends"

I want you bad!  
I want you bad!  
I understand why they say,  
"High school never STOPS"

This isn't coincidence  
There's no such thing  
This isn't coincidence, no, no, no,  
This isn't coincidence  
It's no such thing.  
This isn't, no

I want you bad!  
I want you bad!  
I understand why they say,  
"High school never ends"

I want you bad!  
I want you bad!  
I understand why they say,  
"High school never ends"

_-Smile Lines, Incubus_

Until now, Katara had gone to a small, public school near her home. But, like all the children in the ninth grade and up, she had to go to Element's Boarding School. There were four houses there—Earth, Water, Fire, and Air. While all the children that weren't benders also had to go, it was more about benders. They two types of students were even separated in classes (except for 'Values'—a.k.a. Sex Ed., because benders and non-benders were in no way different in this area…).

All the houses had different coloured uniforms. The girl's uniform was a plaid skirt (a really short one, or so Katara thought) with either green, blue, red, or yellow plaid, a short-sleeved button-down shirt with stripes of the house's colour of the hem, sleeves, and colour, and a necktie (this, too, was the colour of the house). The boys wore khaki pants, a short-sleeved, button-down shirt of the house's colour, and ties that were a very dark shade of their house's colour.

Katara would be placed in the bending section of Element's Boarding School, in the Water House—a very small section that, despite it's size, received lots of awards for it's skills in bending, rivaled only by the Fire House. The Earth and the Air were friendly competitors, taking things a little more lightly that the Water and Fire Houses.

Anyway, Katara stood in front of the giant school's gate, wishing that she could just step back on that plane that had taken her to this weird, surreal place and bring her home. Her brother, Sokka, however, had all ready adjusted just fine and was flirting with a girl that had a gorgeous white braid and pale blue eyes. She was averting her eyes from him and blushing happily at the same time, something that confused Katara, who understood neither boys nor girls. She shook her long, wavy hair, which she had worn in two braids tied with blue ribbons. Also, she had worn blue knee socks, just to add to what felt like a marvelously weird costume.

To the girl's half-relief, a stern-looking man with a blue band around his wrist, signifying that he was of the Water House, came and took her away. _Oh_, Katara thought, realizing what was happening, _they must take the bender's somewhere else for orientation_.

Sokka turned and nodded at her before heading off to the rather large student-body that didn't consist of benders. Feeling helpless (something she hated) as she clutched her orange duffle bag, Katara looked around for someone to lead her off.

A handsome boy appeared in front of her, wearing a green shirt and a wicked grin. He plucked a piece chewed-on lollipop from his lips.

"Hey. Bender, right?" the boy asked casually. After trying to figure out what his cryptically simple message meant, Katara nodded.

"I'm a waterbender… but I'm guessing you knew that. Are you an earthbender?" Katara inquired. The boy shook his head, still grinning.

"Nah, but you've got that lost look that normal students don't have… I'm Jet, by the way. I'll show you where to go... what is your name?" the boy asked. Katara laughed for some reason.

"I'm Katara. Um, if you could just point in which direction…?" Jet nodded and pointed to the left of Katara, to a stone building that looked like a chapel straight out of a gothic horror flick.

"Thanks!" Katara said cheerfully over her shoulder, heading off towards the building.

"See you around!" Jet responded, sticking on hand in his pocket and his lollipop in his mouth.

Katara snuck into the back row, next to a boy in a pale blue sweatshirt who appeared to be sleeping quite happily, his hood pulled over his head. While she didn't completely escape people's notice, she went unseen enough. A woman in stylish square glasses with abundant blonde girls and even more abundant breasts cleared her throat at the front of the room.

"Hello! I am Ms. Rhodea, the headmistress of the bender's section of Element's Academy! You are—if you aren't all ready—going to become the most elite people _on this earth_. If there is a war, you will be called on. You are important. But, besides that, you will not only develop your abilities to the point of a master bender, but you will have fun and make friends doing so. So, shall we start with fire this year? Right then… if the firebenders will come get their mark, we can start the day!" Katara found this talk chilling for some reason, but let it go. Mark? What did they mean?

And then she saw. The sign of the firebenders was _tattooed_ onto the pale-skinned, golden-eyed benders palm in blood red. Katara's eyes widened.

A girl with silky black hair and full, pinkish-red lips pushed to the front, her golden-eyes shining and her mouth stained with a smirk. A pale but handsome boy a couple feet behind the mob of firebenders narrowed his eyes at her as she gave his a superior look. They must be siblings, Katara thought.

As if he felt her staring, the boy turned to glare at her. Their eyes met, clashing like a giant war of fate, the fiery blue and the liquid, icy gold locking onto each other. Katara's eyes widened, and she felt completely unable to look away. The boy's glare held firmly to his face but slipped from his eyes.

Katara gasped, biting her tongue to keep from yelping out of shock. The boy in the sweatshirt was _right behind her_, staring between her and the boy with beautiful gray eyes.

Katara turned to face him, and the angry boy with the gold eyes had melted back into the crowd of proud benders by the time she turned back. Sighing, she took another look at the boy with gray eyes.

"Hi!" he said cheerfully, apparently having all ready forgotten the firebender.

"Hello. I'm Katara. Who are you?" Katara asked politely, fighting the urge to turn and keep looking for the boy.

"I'm Aang. Did you know that you have very pretty eyes? I mean, sure, most waterbenders have blue eyes, but yours are especially calming. And they match your uniform nicely. You're new, right?" Katara felt completely overwhelmed, and completely loved this kid—Aang. He had the light, inquisitive personality of a toddler and looked very carefree.

"Yeah, I'm new. What about you?" Aang nodded eagerly.

"Yeah. You know Ms. Rhodea? She's sort of like my adopted mother. I grew up here after my parents died. They were airbenders, so I am too. Only you can't tell because I am wearing this sweatshirt…"

"Why are you wearing a sweatshirt? It's so… hot!" Katara said, having completely forgotten the boy by now. Aang grinned, but this grin seemed a little nervous.

"Can you keep a secret?" She nodded. "Good. I'm wearing cause… well… I'm the Avatar. And people make a big deal out of it… and I don't like it. I've got special permission from Deliah—that's Ms. Rhodea—to wear it so I don't stick out so much. I just look like a rebel… aren't you shocked?" To tell the truth, Katara wasn't all that shocked. For some reason, she had never thought the Avatar was a big deal. He was for wars. He was supposed to be old and wrinkled, too, but she supposed that everyone had to be young at one point. There was time to be old, wrinkled, and wise after one was young. Anyway, there wasn't a war. There hadn't been one since… well, the giant war that had caused Element's Academy to come into existence, promoting coexistence not only between the benders but also the nations. It had worked well.

"Not really… I mean, I always sort of expected the Avatar to be old, but whatever. So what stamp do you get?" Katara wasn't willing to say tattoo, even if that was what it was.

"The air one. That's the nation I am from. Oh, look. It's time for water to go. You don't want to miss it! Bye, Katara! I'll see if Deliah can put you in any of my classes, if you aren't all ready!" Grinning at the silly boy—Avatar, she corrected herself—Katara headed forward.

The tattoo hadn't hurt at all. It was made of water, that's why. Master benders just shaped the blue water. Well, she lied. There had been a small incision so that they could get the died water under her skin and shape it. She couldn't help but admire her palm and the sparkling blue that now flowed through it.

It was because of this that she bumped into someone.

"Sorr—" Katara began, but broke off when she saw who it was. The boy! The one with the eyes! He glared at her.

"Watch where you are going!" Katara, who was only shocked for a moment, glared, putting her hands on her hips.

"You don't have to be so rude! What're you doing?" Katara demanded, seeing that he had re-opened the incision and was pulling the fire that had made his symbol our of him.

"You might want to do the same. These… signs… do something weird. I swear. You might want to take it out."

"No!" Katara replied, shocked. The boy shrugged.

"That's your decision. Sadly enough, you won't be able to regret it. While it's still new, you _might want to take it out_. You can remake it with your own water. Just dye it blue." Katara blinked.

"Why," she said slowly, "would I take it out if I am just going to put another one in?" The boy looked her square in the face.

"It does something to you, okay? Jesus, I don't know why I helped you. You're just a petty water-brat, aren't you? I bet you're just afraid of breaking the rules! I bet that you're afraid that it'll hurt." Indignant, Katara's eyes burned.

"I am not! You just watch!" Katara snapped. She scratched the cut with her nail, wincing only slightly as it reopened. Muttering under her breath, she bended the water out.

"See?" Katara said, about to smirk at her winning. Then she realized. He was smirking. He had won. Katara clenched her fists and stormed away.

"Name's Zuko, by the way. And, as you just noted, I _always win_." Katara, who was all ready about ten feet away, bit her lip and felt a fiery anger inside her. Stupid, stupid firebenders. She prayed to the moon and the ocean that she wouldn't have any classes with him. He was… horrible! And she barely knew him! Just then, rain broke loose the clouds hold. Katara angrily bended the rainwater into her skin, making a perfect replica of the sign. Stupid, stupid firebender!

And yet a small part of her remembered his eyes. Her tan cheeks turned a little pinker than the second before. Then, disgusted with herself, she dug her fingernails into her palm, into the fresh wound, crying out softly in pain.

_I .Hate. Firebenders._

**A/N Well, I hope that you like it. Also, I hope it's different that other fics you've read. I really hope so…**

**But more than that, I hope you like it. Please, review—I would if I were you! But that's only 'cause I review for everything…**

**Anyway, tell me what you think.**

**Lovelove,**

**xwlic**


	2. IMPORTANT! SUMMARY!

AU modernverse, but in an AU. Katara has just started at Element's Academy, a boarding school notorious for sending out elite benders. She makes plenty of friends, but... something isn't quite right. Why is it that only she and a boy that she hates can see it? What is this school really planning? Zutara.


	3. Something Secret

**A/N He-llo! Well, the song this time… it doesn't have really anything to do with this chapter, at least I don't think it does, but think about it and tell me what you think it applies to. Also, I found some errors in the first chapter, the main one being that Ms. Rhodea has blonde _curls_, not blonde girls. Anyway, I just changed my song. Now, I am just going to put an excerpt of the song, the part that… has some vague thing to do with the story. Oh, yeah. And Toph? She's fourteen, too. Otherwise she wouldn't be here… and that would be _sad_.**

_So wear me like a locket around your throat  
I'll weigh you down I'll watch you choke  
You look so good in blue  
You look so good in blue_

_Nobody Puts Baby In A Corner, Fall Out Boy_

"Holy—!" Katara exclaimed, her hand flying to her mouth. Gray eyes stared at her, partly concerned and partly amused.

"Are you okay, Katara?" Aang enquired.

"Uh, yeah… I just wasn't expecting anyone to be in my room… why are you in my room anyway?" she demanded. Aang blushed.

Katara had just been walking up to her room, fuming for most of the time. Of course, as she got lost so many times and barely knew where she was going, her anger had pretty much dwindled out by the time she got there…

Anyway, it was a bit of a surprise when she walked into her room, flipped on the light, and found a random person sitting on the bed. It would be shocking for anyone, really, but she was all ready in enough of a bad mood that it didn't help one bit.

"Oh, well. I just wanted to come talk to you. Deliah said I could." Katara nodded.

"Well… is Deliah an airbender?" Katara asked, landing on a rather lame topic for a conversation but finding nothing else.

"Yeah, she's an airbender," Aang replied, nodding, "but her father was a firebender—that's why she has such pale skin and gold eyes. But she takes after her mother. Actually, her mother is my… um… second cousin, I think. Or maybe my friend's second cousin—I don't remember. But she is _definitely_ someone's second cousin." Aang made a supposedly stern face and nodded again. Despite herself, Katara laughed. Aang blushed again, thinking of how pretty this girl was. She didn't even seem to know it. He had known her only a short time, and he all ready had a crush on her.

"How does the air sign work? I mean, you can't really make a sign out of air, can you?" Katara asked after a moment of awkward silence in which Aang had stared at her intently (something that was happening more and more often, not to say she was getting used to it). Aang laughed.

"Well, I'm not supposed to say this, but… they used coloured water on airbenders, too. The air doesn't work it. It's okay, though, because the air and water elements are really closely linked." Aang explained the last part quickly at the expression of horror on Katara's face. Having an element in you that wasn't yours? Sure, if you were the Avatar, it was fine. But what about the other ones? That would be painful. It wouldn't blend with you.

"What about earth? You can't put earth into people, either," Katara pointed out. Aang shook his head.

"Nah. They use leaves and grass and stuff—all a part of the earth. Oh—I have to go! I'm really sorry, Katara! Deliah wanted me to come back to help her with something—you took a while getting here though." Katara blushed, ashamed.

"Oh, but before you go—I have a question. There's a firebender, his name is Zuko. How old is he?" Katara prayed he was older. That way, they wouldn't have classes together. He _looked_ older.

"He's sixteen. Why?" But Katara had turned away, set on unpacking her orange duffle bag.

"So he won't have _any_ classes with me?" Katara confirmed. Aang groaned inwardly. Had this girl all ready fallen for the firebender that quickly? All the girls did, at first. He was quiet, mysterious, and had that flame-scar that everyone swooned over. Of course, the attraction fell flat when they realized that the scowl adorning his face was not leaving, and neither was his anger.

"Well, if you weren't a bender…" Aang began, hesitating. "See, there aren't as many benders, so they all have classes together. Not all at once, but mixed ages. So there's a chance. But Katara… you should stay away from him," Aang warned, partly for his own benefit but mostly because he didn't want more people hurt by him. Katara turned to him with a bewildered, angry expression. He prepared himself for her defense against the boy.

"What do you think I was planning on?! God, if he is in my classes…" Katara trailed off, making an angry noise. Aang's gray eyes widened, but he laughed.

"You know, with a temper like that, someone might take you for a firebender!" With that, Aang left. Katara's eyes narrowed as she prayed to the spirits that they wouldn't do what he had suggested.

As it turned out, Katara's roommate was the white-haired bender who Sokka had been flirting with. As it also turned out, she was the daughter of the watertibe's president. Her mother, who had died, had been rich, making Yue—the white-haired girl—not only an important heiress, but an amazing target. So she was having the room searched, making it impossible for Katara to even go in there.

So Katara walked through the huge building, the Water House, where all the watertribe students lived. She shuffled her feet along the dark blue carpet, sighing every once and a while and wishing rather fervently that there was any other colour from blue. And, in her inadvertent wanderings, she ended up right in front of a curved wall with a curved door made of tinted blue glass that she could not see through. The wall bulged out toward her, and after a moment of confusion, she figured out where she was.

All four Houses, as well as the building that held the teachers and staff, were connected. In the center, there was a large curved area for the Headmistresses' room and offices. This area was a perfect circle. Seen from above, the whole thing looked like a crude drawing of a sun, a small circle with long, fairly thin beams stretching out from it like a spider's legs.

Katara nearly screamed (for the third time that day). Her phone was ringing, and it was ringing loudly. Or, it felt loud in this stiflingly quiet hallway. Why was it so quiet, anyway? Looking around her, Katara suddenly realized that, not only were there no people near her, but there were no dorm rooms for students. She probably wasn't even supposed to be there. About to go back the way she came, Katara tensed.

Footsteps were coming. If she wasn't supposed to be here, it probably wouldn't be good to get caught there. They had probably mentioned it in orientation when she had been zoning out. Or maybe even before she got there.

Panicking, Katara pushed lightly on the glass door. With a hiss, cold air spewed out from the curved room. The door slid into the wall. Katara would've have stayed and stared at it for a while longer, but the footsteps had stopped. No doors had opened. This meant that either the person had had a miraculously lucky urge to stand still or that she had heard something. As soon as she was inside the blue door, it slid shut behind her.

The first thing Katara noticed was the dark. Dim light came from the door behind her, sure, but there were no windows. No lamps. In fact, there was absolutely nothing there. As if this weren't creepy enough, she heard more footsteps. This time they were coming from her left.

She darted quickly forward, trying to delve as deep into the shadows and dark as she could. She heard laughing. The hiss of air as the blue door opened.

A young boy who looked to be Katara's age walked in, looking both pissed off and superior to whoever it was that had been laughing. Katara recognized him. Slowly, she realized who it was. Jet! The boy from earlier! But… what was he doing.

"I'm so glad you could make it Jet," a soft voice cooed. Katara recognized that, too. Ms. Rhodea! Jet rolled his eyes.

"Deliah, I think there is someone in here, so if you could _not talk_, it would be nice." Although Katara couldn't see her, she knew that Ms. Rhodea was pouting. After a moment, she heard a sigh and something that sounded like "fine".

"Well, come this way, Jet," Ms. Rhodea said, immediately changing her manner to a stern, businesslike one. Jet nodded curtly, and the two stepped forward. Katara winced as a light came on suddenly. A flashlight? No. It was _fire_. And not in a torch, but coming from Ms. Rhodea's palm.

"Shall we?" she asked. Katara gasped. Jet and Ms. Rhodea quickly snapped around, Ms. Rhodea extinguishing the flame. Katara took a step backward, fumbling in the dark. Suddenly, she froze. A chill went over her. She heard the faint, ghost-like tinkling of bells. The eerie sound was perfect for the surreal moment. Even before the cold metal tickled her tan throat, Katara felt the metal blades slicing through the air.

"_Don't. Move._" A chilling voice said, sounding almost labored. She didn't. Not like she was planning on it. She was caught in a room with two people who obviously didn't want her there and there were two long, blades—swords, maybe—held to her throat. Like she was _really _going to move. However, as talking would most definitely draw attention, Katara didn't say this.

The person holding the swords to her throat took a step back, into the shadows, with stunning silence. They pulled Katara along with them. Suddenly, violently, the man holding the blades pushed her towards another glass door, which slid open just before she hit it.

"_Get out!_" the voice hissed. Katara had just enough time to see a man in a creepy blue mask slash his blades through the air, deflecting fire that Ms. Rhodea had sent at him away. Then the door closed.

The _red_ door.

She was in the Fire House (she would've laughed at the name if he situation hadn't been so serious), and her only way back was through a room which held an obviously skilled firebender, a handsome but suspicious teen, and a man who had held swords to her throat. Groaning, Katara sat down on the floor.

She barely had time to gasp as something hit her head, knocking her onto the plush, red carpet as she lost consciousness.


	4. Whispered Away

**A/N Well. Guess who has a song for this chapter?**

**That's right—me. Without further ado, my story. Oh, wait—I'm ado-ing. Gomen nasai, but… I must say one thing—this song pertains to the present in the chorus, but is really foreshadowing. Now. Here ya go.**

_Your lipstick, his collar... don't bother Angel  
I know exactly what goes on_

When everything you'll get is  
everything that you've wanted, princess   
(well which would you prefer)  
My finger on the trigger, or   
(me face down, down across your floor)  
Me face down, down across your floor  
(me face down, down across your floor)  
Well just so long as this thing's loaded

And will you tell all your friends  
you've got your gun to my head  
This all was only wishful thinkin,  
this all was only wishful thinkin  
And will you tell all your friends  
you've got your gun to my head  
This all was only wishful thinkin,  
this all was only wishful thinkin   
let's go...

Don't bother trying to explain Angel  
I know exactly what goes on when you're on and  
How about I'm outside of your window  
(how about I'm outside of your window)   
Watchin him keep the details covered  
You're such a sucker (you're such a sucker)  
for a sweet talker, yeah

And will you tell all your friends  
you've got your gun to my head  
This all was only wishful thinkin,  
this all was only wishful thinkin   
(the only thing that I regret is that I, I never let you hold me back)  
And will you tell all your friends  
you've got your gun to my head  
This all was only wishful thinkin,  
this all was only wishful thinkin

Hoping for the best just hoping nothing happens  
A thousand clever lines unread on clever napkins  
I will never ask if you don't ever tell me  
I know you well enough to know you never loved me  
Hoping for the best just hoping nothing happens  
A thousand clever lines unread on clever napkins   
I will never ask if you don't ever tell me  
I know you well enough to know you never loved me  
Hoping for the best just hoping nothing happens  
A thousand clever lines unread on clever napkins   
I will never ask if you don't ever tell me  
I know you well enough to know...

Why can't I feel anything  
from anyone other than you?  
Why can't I feel anything  
from anyone other than you?

And all of this was all your fault  
And all of this

(I stay jealous)  
I stay wrecked and jealous for this,  
for this simple reason  
I just need to keep you in mind   
as something larger than life  
(she'll destroy us all before she's through  
and find a way to blame somebody else)  
I stay wrecked and jealous for this,  
for this simple reason  
I just need to keep you in mind  
as something larger than life  
(she'll destroy us all before she's through  
and find a way to blame somebody else)  
I stay wrecked and jealous for this,  
for this simple reason  
I just need to keep you in mind  
as something larger than life!

_Cute Without The 'E' (Cut From The Team), Taking Back Sunday_

Katara groaned softly, shifting between the stiff, white sheets that had her pinioned to the uncomfortable cot of a bed. She opened her eyes, only to find herself surrounded by a white curtain. _Either I'm in an insane asylum or a hospital. Neither choice is very good…_Katara thought, wincing as she pushed herself up. A sharp, throbbing pain made her put her hand to her head, where she felt a bandage. What had _happened_?

Then it all came rushing back to her—the firebending, the masked man with swords, and being knocked out in the Fire House. Apparently, whoever had done it had hit her hard enough to make her bleed. Katara grimaced. Slowly, the beautiful girl of water and moonlight turned around. There was a person sitting next to her bed. This time, she didn't scream, yelp, jump, or gasp. She just released her breath, blinked, and looked again. He was still there.

It was Aang.

"Are you all right, Katara?" Aang asked, his gray eyes full of worry. _Blink_.

"Uhm… yeah… how did I get here, though?" Katara said quietly, talking almost to herself.

"Do you remember anything?" Aang asked, leaning forward. _Blink_. Katara shook her head slowly, keeping her eyes on the boy. Aang sighed.

"Well, I guess we don't know what happened, then. You were found in the courtyard by the bell tower by one of Yue's—your roommate, that is—guards. You were unconscious, your head was bleeding, and you seemed to have a fever. Also, there were small cuts on you throat…" Aang explained. _Blink_.

"Oh," Katara mumbled. She shifted in bed. _Blink_. An awkward silence filled the air, suffocating Katara with an oppressive, almost mocking scent. Aang's gray eyes were on her, watching her every move. He noted how a few strands of long, dark hair hung in her face, floating upwards every time her breath escaped her small, full mouth.

"Uhm… what day is it?" Katara asked, feeling a desperate need to get rid of the silence that Aang didn't seem to feel. Aang blinked once, rapidly, then answered.

"It's… well, tomorrow for what you would think. The day classes were supposed to start. But don't worry—they were cancelled." Katara's eyes widened.

"Why did they cancel classes?" Katara asked, immediately intrigued, though she hoped it wasn't for her.

"Well… I'm not supposed to say, but everybody knows anyway. Ms. Rhodea was attacked by some guy with swords. They don't know who he is because he was wearing a mask, but he was amazingly skilled. They think that he is just a normal kid—that is, not a bender—because he used only his swords, never bending. Also, he stole something from her—even I don't know what. You were found in the courtyard about forty minutes after the attack. Do you remember who did this to you? Maybe it was him!" Aang's gray eyes, so wide and innocent, pleaded with her. The man in the mask! Well, he had most certainly put his swords to her throat, but—now that she thought about it—he had also saved her. Katara felt like she shouldn't tell. She didn't know why… it just didn't seem right. And technically, she didn't know who had attacked her. Obviously not the fighter, who had been busy, well… fighting. Twisting her face into a rueful expression, Katara shook her head.

"Oh well," Aang sighed, looking slightly crestfallen. Katara shifted, uncomfortable again, but this time for a different reason. She had always hated lying. She felt like she was betraying everyone. She had managed to get this far in life telling only little lies, and those were few and far between. With a sense of dread, like a rolling wave of heat, she felt that she would be doing quite a bit of lying in the future. _Blink_. But why did she feel that way? Sighing in both a frustrated way and a defeated way, Katara lay back down. Aang said something Katara didn't catch (too busy thinking) and left.

Katara rolled on to her stomach, thinking about the classes she would be going to tomorrow.

_See?_ some part of her said. _You should've left when you had that urge to. But no. You just _had_ to stay at this school. It's barely your second day and you're all ready in the infirmary! And you're _lying

_Shut up_, the pissed-off, tired part of her said. She clenched her eyes shut, vowing to get some more sleep. Maybe it would help with the giant headache she was developing.

Katara walked down a hallway Elemental Hall, where the classes of the benders were held. She tugged self-consciously at her skirt, feeling that it was way too short. After a long argument with the nurse in the infirmary, she had been allowed to return to her room rather than spend the night in the infirmary. Apparently, the argument had proved her healthy enough to return to her room, where Yue was all ready asleep, her pearly white hair strewn over the blue pillow. She looked like an angel.

Despite all the thoughts churning through her head (not to mention that she'd slept virtually all day), Katara fell asleep almost as soon as her head fell onto her pillow.

She had dreamed.

_Running. Falling. Crumpling to the ground. It doesn't feel right. Being laid gently on the ground. Feeling blood around my body. A flash of silver._

She had woken up, panting and twisted in the sheets, to find her roommate gone. Growling, she had thrown the covers off and quickly dressed, not bothering to eat breakfast.

So here she was, her shirt half-tucked in, messily pulling her hair into a sloppy bun. Katara yawned as she fumbled for her schedule. She unfolded the crinkled paper and searched for the room number. _207, 207—where is it?_ Katara thought, sounding annoyed even to herself. Oh. It was right in front of her. Blushing even though nobody had heard her (she had, after all, said it only in her mind), Katara opened the door. The whole class was all ready seated, and all of them swiveled their heads to see who the late girl was. Katara's tan skin heated up, and the professor raised an eyebrow.

"Katara, is it?" he asked, peering at her over the top of his glasses in a way that Katara was very jealous of (why couldn't _she_ give people looks like that?), Katara nodded guiltily. "I'll excuse you this time, Ms. Katara, but only because of your recent mishap. Now, you may take the only seat left. It's in the back, but that _is_ what happens when you're late." Katara headed towards the back, feeling a slight surge of anger. He didn't have to be so rude to her!

She stumbled, almost falling, receiving a flurry of giggles. She could've cared less. The room was set up in large desks that were almost tables, two people seated at each desk.

She distinctly recognized the boy who was to sit next to her. The scar. The golden eyes. The angry expression. He was staring out the window, looking bored, but Katara could tell that he was angry. She narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips, but decided it was best not to argue with a teacher that all ready seemed angry at her.

She sat down reluctantly, careful not to look at Zuko.

It was amazingly hard. She kept peeking at him from under her hair. He was scrawling random lyrics in his notebook. _Blink_. He started tapping is pencil, then stopped. She wanted to throw something at him. It was annoying.

Katara felt eyes on her. Slowly, she turned. There was a boy sitting in a dark corner, wearing a black sweatshirt with _Scary Kids Scaring Kids_ on it. His hood was on, and she couldn't see his eyes. But she felt them boring into her. She shivered, scooting her chair instinctively away from him. This, however, proved to be a mistake as it also scooted her towards Zuko. He glanced up, his eyes narrow and his mouth in a tight line. His grip on his pencil tightened.

"What's _wrong_ with you?" he hissed.

"Uhm…" Katara replied wittily, thinking of nothing to say. Still angry, Zuko rolled his eyes and went back to writing out the lyrics. They were creepy. Katara read them, wide-eyed.

_Hey, is your heart still beating? I can't stop the bleeding—I've lost you completely_.

Katara shivered again, wanting to move away from Zuko. Of course, she didn't really want to move towards the Scary Kid. Groaning, Katara flopped onto her desk, her head making a loud _thwack_ sound as it hit the desk. Again, she felt about a million sets of eyes on her.

"Is something wrong, Katara?" a, dark, eerie voice said from behind her. She whipped her head up and turned around. No one was there.

"Something wrong, Ms. Katara? The teacher asked, mirroring the phantom voice. Swallowing, Katara shook her head. Sighing, Mr… whoever her teacher was (she still didn't actually know his name) went back to teaching.

"Next time, you might want to make less of a scene. It draws attention," the terrifying voice whispered.

"_Leave me alone_," Katara muttered under her breath. Zuko looked at her strangely, and she glared defiantly back at him.

_I'm not leaving,_ the voice said, this time from inside her head. Katara's eyes widened, and she looked around the room.

She could've sworn that Scary Kid was smirking.


	5. Melt in Your Eyes Full With Hate

**A/N So… I decided to update again because… I am bored. Anyway, the song I am gonna use… or the part of the song… is… you'll see. Anyway, I forgot to mention… yeah—the chorus was gonna have to do with the chapter, but then I realized—that chapter would have to be _obscenely _long. So. That song is just a total foreshadowing. These… some are foreshadowing. They are just little excerpts from three _Academy Is…_ songs. And sorry that it ends up getting really long, in the beginning. If you don't like to read the songs, just skip 'em. I just really, really, _really_ love music. Also, Toph comes in a bit here. And Ari… if you've ever seen Da Capo, kind of think of Sakura, 'kay?**

_Someone somewhere said some things that mis-sparked some sympathy,  
but don't believe, don't believe a word you heard about me._

_Skeptics and True Believers, The Academy Is…_

_Always up or down, never down and out.  
Dream of demons while you sleep,  
To make you stutter when you speak.  
Always up or down, never down and out.  
Dream of demons while you sleep,  
To make you stutter when you speak.  
Speak now or forever hold your piece in pieces…_

_The writers weren't kidding about the good things will live in out hearts._

_Down and Out, The Academy Is…_

_Who are you kidding?  
I'm not like them  
I won't buy it._

_Slow Down, The Academy Is…_

By 2:30, Katara had completely all but forgotten the voice in her head. She was too busy being really, really pissed-off. It turned out that Zuko was in _every single one_ of Katara's classes. At first, they had sort of ignored each other, glaring every once and a while. By that last class, though, Katara was spewing insults through clenched teeth, as was Zuko (except instead of clenching his teeth, he clenched his fists—ready for a fight).

"You _damn water-brat_!" Zuko hissed, his gold eyes flaming. All ready, he completely regretted telling her about the tattoo on her palm. He'd just felt like he should help her. He'd never helped anyone else, and after this bad experience, he wasn't planning on helping anyone ever again.

"You _damn fire-idiot_!" Katara retorted, barely keeping herself from letting out a stream of words that really aren't appropriate for anyone under the age of 13 (or so the movies said). Zuko narrowed his eyes; Katara pouted and placed her hands on her hips, her own eyes fiery enough to match his. They were so wrapped up in shooting insults and hate-glazed looks at each other that they didn't notice the teacher coming in until she cleared her throat, standing right beside them. Katara jumped, blushing. Zuko glared on last time and went back to… being angry and pissed-off, or whatever it was he did.

The teacher was a woman with brown hair that had a slightly red tint. Her skin was pale, and her eyes were moss-green. While her mouth was molded into a firm line, Katara could see the amusement dancing in her eyes like will-o-the-wisps in a fog-shrouded night.

"Do you know what makes me happy?" the teacher asked. Katara felt like this was a trick question, but answered with a shake of her head anyway. A corner of the pretty teacher's mouth quirked upwards, proving that the hidden grin was still there.

"When my students _don't_ spend the entire class glaring at each other and casting out insults like cherries."

"Cherries?" Katara asked before she could stop herself. This time, the teacher did grin.

"It was the first thing that came to mind. Now. What are your names?" the teacher asked.

"Katara," she said, hoping she wasn't in trouble. The teacher turned away, but Katara caught the way her eyes widened in quickly-masked interest.

"And your?" Zuko shot an angry glare at the teacher, but muttered his name anyway.

"Zuko," he muttered, his voice oozing with negative emotions.

"Right. I am Mrs. Bayton. But I always thought that name was weird because it has to do with the sea, not the earth, so—and now all of you guys in the class can stop pretending you aren't listening—I would like it if you called me Nessa… that's my name."

The class remained silent, a few nodding. One even went so far as to mutter ''kay', but an elbow shoved into his gut quickly silenced him. Again, Katara found herself in a situation that would've been very, very funny if she weren't in such a bad mood.

"So. Do you all know what this class is for?" Nessa asked, wandering to the front of the huge room. Katara looked around. The floor was the gray floor that was often found in dance studios; the walls stretched up high, trying to meet the ceiling. The windows were up high as well. The walls were white. It looked like a giant, empty gymnasium.

"P.E.?" someone asked from the back. This one—a cute, blonde girl who was far shorter than everyone else—did not get an elbow shoved into her gut. She got affectionate stares. The girl blushed, her blue eyes going wide. Katara rolled her own blue eyes, thinking about how much of an idiot the girl was making of herself.

Nessa appraised the girl with her eyes, and then nodded.

"Sort of. What's your name, girl?" she asked quickly. The girl gave a shy smile.

"Arabella. But… just Ari, please." Nessa went back to her explanation.

"Well, like I said, Ari is more or less right. It is sort of like P.E., but as your benders… it's really more of a training class. You have all been paired up with whoever has ability in bending closest to yours. Every Friday, you will fight someone new, just for texture, but on Monday you will go back to your partner. Now, before you ask, unless your ability is extremely different that we thought when pairing you up, your partners will _not change_. Understood?" Some nods, a few incoherent murmurs that were silenced with glares. No more elbows, but these people really seemed to have something against anyone who spoke. Katara watched them all, thinking that maybe she was just surrounded by a bunch of idiots who hated talking.

"Right. Well, I'm going to list off the partners now, okay? We'll go alphabetically. First, Aang and Toph—if you will go over there?" I watched Aang enthusiastically start chatting with a girl who looked about our age. She was pretty—long, black hair pulled into a bun, eyes that appeared to be greenish-blue, but her hair was over them. She was barefoot. When Aang didn't stop talking, she pushed the ground underneath him up, knocking him over. This got a few giggles. Katara watched them, tuning in to the list to hear names every once and a while—"Rachael and Sora" were together, as were "Jin and Rogue". Still, she didn't hear her name.

"And, lastly, Zuko and Katara." Nessa said this statement with a certain amount of relish. Katara's mouth dropped open a little; Zuko looked up with a terrifyingly mad expression. "Now that we are all paired up… there isn't going to be dueling. Not today. Today, you're going to play some games to get to know each other. We'll place you and your partner with another pair, and you all can… I don't know. Talk? I never was good at making up games…right then. Just go with whoever is closest to you."

Katara smacked her head, leaving a red mark that would've put Sokka to shame. Ari, the adorable, puppy-like blonde, and her partner came over. Katara groaned when she saw who it was.

Scary Kid. Scary Kid was still smirking.

"Hi!" Ari said, her long pigtails snapping through the air as she bent forward and wiggled her fingers. "I'm Ari. This is my partner. His name is Kris. He's really nice. I know. He doesn't talk much, but not everybody likes talking! I like talking. I also like bunnies. Some of my friends call me bunny, too. What are _your_ names?" Katara blinked, not really sure what to do with this girl, who was even more like a child than Aang.

"Um," Katara said. Silence. "I'm… Katara." Ari nodded enthusiastically, her blue bows bobbing up and down. "I'm a waterbender."

"Oh—really? I love waterbenders! They are so pretty! I'm an airbender, but my father was a waterbender, so I like blue. I have blue eyes, too, see? And my blue hair bows. Everybody says that they're really cute!" Katara nodded meekly. "What is your partners name?" Ari asked, her blue eyes wide and innocent.

"Oh. Him," Katara said, her voice devoid of emotion. Zuko narrowed his eyes at her.

"I'm Zuko," he grunted, not bothering to uncross his arms.

"You could be a little more polite, you know! Ari here never did anything wrong! She seems perfectly nice!" Katara snapped, not in defense of Ari but because she wanted some reason to yell at Zuko.

"Hello," a deep, vaguely familiar voice said. Everyone turned to look at Kris, started that he was actually speaking. Even Ari seemed startled. He had pulled his hood from over his head, and Katara had to admit—he was definitely handsome, in a bad-boy, emo, music-lover way. His blacker-than-night had hung down over his face, his pale face. He was tall. He smirked a little.

"What? You didn't know that I could speak?" he asked. Silence again. Then Ari squealed, jumping up to hug him and throwing her arms around the boy.

"He's sooooooo cute!" she exclaimed. Then she smirked.

_Boo. I got you_, a dark, deep voice said in Katara's mind. She jumped, looking at Kris. His expression hadn't changed.

"What…?" Katara said. Ari wiped the smirk from her face.

"Boo!" Ari said, jumping towards Katara, giggling. Kris pulled his hood back over his head.

Zuko watched this silently, seeing Ari's smirk.

_Something isn't right, _he thought.

**A/N Yeah… I know that chapter was… actually, I don't have a word for it. For all of you guys who _don't_ watch Da Capo, I have provided pics of Sakura. Some hav other peeps, but she is the blonde one.**

**http://img. but you can think of her differently if you want to. Ciao!**

**p.s. sorry that my chapters seem a little… disconnected. I am in the process of setting up the story, and all this stuff IS important.**


	6. PICS OF SAKURA THAT MAY OR MAY NOT WORK

**Okay, so—I am aware that they really didn't show up (the pics) so I will send the URLs with spaces, which you shall remove. K?**

**http:// img.photobucket. com/albums /v514/jamc29/Avatars /DaCapo-Sakura 01.jpg**

**http://img . v514/jamc29/Avatars/DaCapo-Sakura02.gif**

**http://download. 241.jpg**


	7. Blinding Light

**A/N Okay, so, it's like this: apparently, I am the only one in this world with no life. Everyone else seems to be… I dunno… actually doing stuff. Last night, I stayed up until 4am reading my book. Tonight, I will most likely do the same. Jeezums, please—give up your lives and talk to me! Well, I think I'll write the story now. And the first song excerpt pertains to Zuko. The second to Katara and Aang when he stares at her all the time. There was another song, but I realized—Aang is too young to have the song I wanted to do about him. Heh… Also, I realize these seem unconnected. THEY ARE NOT.**

_I won't pretend to smile  
because inside  
I'm black and I am hollow…_

_The Bright Side of Suffering, Scary Kids Scaring Kids_

_The drops of rain, they fall all over.  
This awkward silence makes me crazy._

_Down, Blink-182_

Katara sat quietly on her bed, doing breathing exercises in hope to calm herself down. So far, it was working. It hadn't been all bad, she mused. She had made a new friend with that girl, Ari, and she had… um… learned the name of a teacher. Not really an accomplishment, but she was trying to find positives right now, and that was the best she could come up with. Sighing in defeat, Katara grabbed her white, fluffy towel and headed to the bathroom to take a shower. It was sure to be relaxing—what could be better than her own element, water, rushing down on her to wash her anger away?

Katara shed her school uniform and stepped under the steaming spray, all the tension in her body immediately dissipating as she did. The water soaked her long hair, and, soaked, it fell into her face. She sighed and decided that while she was relaxed under the streaming water, she might as well sort out her feelings.

She didn't understand why she felt so angry. She almost felt like it was there to cover another feeling up… fear, maybe. Yes, she nodded. She was afraid of something. But _why_ didn't she feel safe? She was in what was quite possibly the safest place in the continent.

But that was the trouble with feelings. They weren't rational. They seemed to know things you didn't; sometimes, they even seemed to shape things. Another problem altogether lay in asking questions starting with 'why': they had no answer. Nobody really, truly knew why. It only became harder to pretend to answer when it came to feelings. Which brought her full-circle, back to her anger. But he just killed her! The way those liquid amber eyes burned with wanton anger and hate for everything, the way she melted in them… not in a lovey-dovey way, but the way that plastic distorts, twists, and melts in a flame. Or maybe not. Maybe they just… cancelled… cancelled like…

_Fire and water_, Katara thought gravely, fruity smelling shampoo suds running down her tan body, tickling her feet, and disappearing down the drain. Katara rinsed the last of the soap and shampoo from herself and reluctantly turned off the water.

Katara quickly brushed and parted her hair. Then, casually, flicking her wrist, she bent all the water from it and let it drop into the sink. It left her hair unnaturally straight, silky, and soft. The beautiful, tan girl smiled, brushed the water from her body with a little help from bending, and wrapped her towel around herself. Smiling serenely, Katara walked from the bathroom.

And proceeded to almost drop her towel, which only would have served to make the turn of events worse. Instead of an empty room, she found her dorm filled with three people whose faces she recognized very, _very_ well.

Sokka said on her bed, flirting with Yue and looking superior. Aang was also sitting on her bed, but as the door to the bathroom opened, his gaze had immediately drifted to Katara. His face turned bright red, but he didn't move his eyes. Yue looked flustered, overwhelmed, and helpless. Katara growled.

"_What_ are you _doing_ here?!" she snapped at her brother. Sokka's head snapped around towards her, slack-jawed.

"Why are you out of the shower? You're ruining my fun!" Sokka countered brilliantly. Not. Katara just stared at them, feeling relieved that Aang had finally dropped his eyes to his hands, where he had apparently found that his fingernails were of startling and critical interest. Katara raised her hands to rub her face but, as she did so, her towel began to slide off, causing Aang's face to go completely red, even though he was still looking at his hands. Her arms flew down, pinning the towel to her sides.

"Hey, you know what? I've got a great idea. How about everyone who doesn't belong in this room—i.e. Aang and Sokka—_leaves_ the room, so that certain people"—here Katara coughed—"do certain things—like, I don't know, _getting dressed_, okay?" Katara said, snapping out words for emphasis. Of course, her speech just _had_ to be completely ruined when someone knocked at the door. No one moved.

"Hey, if I don't belong here, I'm definitely not going to answer your door!" Sokka defended, throwing his hands up. Aang nodded slightly. He had now moved on from staring at his fingernails to picking at Katara's sea-blue quilt. Yue looked petrified, and as she hadn't moved since Katara had removed herself from the shower, she didn't think that she was about to do so.

Sighing in aggravation, Katara stomped towards the door. She flung it open, ready to politely explain that she would like it if they left. When she saw who it was, her face turned bright red and she clutched the towel closer to herself. Zuko's gold eyes looked angry, and that scowl was _still_ etched onto his face.

"What are _you_ doing here, Zuko?" Katara demanded, trying her best to sound angry (and, while she was, she was a great deal more mortified). Aang, noticing the pink that dusted Katara's cheeks, groaned silently. So what—she got embarrassed about Zuko, someone that seemed to despise her—seeing her half-naked, but when Aang saw that, she was just cross? Aang felt about ready to pull a Sokka and smack his head, but the warning look he got from Katara's brother clearly said that he did _not_ want his move stolen—it was copyrighted.

Zuko was about to make a smart reply, but then his mouth simply closed. His eyes lit with curiousity and concern. Katara turned her head to see where he was looking.

At Yue.

The blue water tattoo was glowing faintly, almost pulsing. The light steadily grew brighter, and Yue's skin paler.

"Oh," she murmured softly. Then, like a supernova, the light expanded, filling the room completely, accompanied by a buzzing sound.

And, just like that, it rushed back, receding like a magnificent tide.

Katara blinked, rubbing her eyes. Yue lay on the bed, her tattoo throbbing, her skin paper white. A trickle of blood ran from her mouth.

Aang and Sokka were lying down as well, seeming to be just asleep. Katara turned to look at Zuko, her eyes wide.

"I came to warn her… looks like I was too late," he muttered, his gold eyes taking on a stormy, dark look. Katara just stared.

Aang and Sokka rubbed their eyes, stretched, and sat back up.

"What happened? Who is that guy in the door?" Sokka demanded.

"What is he _doing _here?" Aang asked, looking perplexed. Then they noticed Yue.

"Wh… what happened?" Sokka whispered, horrified. Aang's eyes dulled, making him look almost like a robot.

"It was them. Get them."

Without so much as a word, Zuko grabbed Katara's hand.

"_Run_," he demanded.

She didn't have to be told twice.

**A/N I am so sorry this took so long to update! And I know that that was an odd chapter, but… I hope you liked it! And soon… you'll discover the tattoo's purpose. And… uhm… stuff. Anyway, I hope you liked it!**


	8. Unsure Savior

**A/N I am sorry, but I was in a paralyzing shock over that last episode. Which I am pretending didn't happen, 'kay?**

**Good! I hope that all your questions will be answered!**

**Also… there are _hints_ of Zutara in this chapter, though there is no actual Zutara here. Also… he is still the Blue Spirit here. What? He's too cool that way!!!**

**O**

**o**

**O**

**o**

**O**

**o**

**O**

_Don't you come near me.  
Don't you come close to me.  
Why don't you fear me?  
Don't dance so close to me.  
Don't you come near me.  
Don't you come close to me.  
Because they wont let me stop now.  
Because I wont stop, can't stop now._

_Little Girls, Say Anything_

Zuko ran down the hall, dragging Katara, who was rather preoccupied with holding the white towel to her body. Her wavy, brown hair swung behind her, and she glared at Zuko for a bit, then began to glare at her towel.

Finally, after what seemed like fifteen or twenty minutes but was really only four, Katara wrenched her hand from Zuko's and stopped, placing her hands on her hips.

"What is it?" Zuko demanded, turning around faster than Katara thought was humanly possible.

"First of all, I am wearing a _towel_, Zuko. Towels were not meant to be worn, nor wore they meant for _running_ in. Secondly, I have no idea what happened, just that Yue might or might not be dead, and that Aang seems to be brain-washed or something. Oh, yeah, and there's definitely something that nobody has informed me of." Katara pushed a piece of hair out of her face impatiently, much the same way a young child would. Zuko stared at her, then blinked. _Honestly_, he thought, _girls_.

"Hmph. Not important. Now, come on!" He snapped, taking off again (though this time he forewent grabbing her tan hand). Katara stared after him for a moment, stared behind her, and then, almost miserably, gave in and followed him.

A gust of air pushed her forward, pressing on the backs of her bare legs and causing her towel to billow up around her. She sprinted harder, trying to catch up with Zuko…

…and ran into a girl.

"Oah!" Katara half-gasped, half-shrieked, her hands flying first to her mouth, then to secure her towel. The girl was beautiful. She has long, black hair pulled into an interesting bun and wore the green uniform on an Earth House student. Her eyes were pale green, glazed over, and a smirk slept on her lips.

"Great job. Run into the blind girl, why don't you?" she snapped. Katara's blue eyes widened. Zuko appeared from around a corner, about to snap at Katara (again—people really seemed to love doing this), but stopped short.

"S-s-sorry!" Katara stuttered immediately.

"_Katara_," a menacing voice said, and for a moment, she thought she was insane. Then she remembered with relief that there was a voice talking to her that only she could hear. Then she thought she was insane again.

_Uhm… yes?_ Katara replied with her thoughts.

"_Go with Toph; you'll be safe with her,_" it said.

"Why?" Katara asked, accidentally out loud, earning her an odd look from the blind girl—Toph, as Katara guessed.

"_Just listen to me! Right now!_" Deciding it a good idea to listen to the voice (if anything, insanity is irrational), Katara turned to the blind girl.

"Toph?" she asked.

"How do you know my name?"

"Uhm… run?"

Toph sprinted.

Almost as fast as Zuko, who had disappeared somewhere in the insane moment Katara had just had.

O

o

O

o

O

o

O

Katara stopped, panting, and stopped her run before she ran into Toph again, who had stopped due to the wall that seemed to have popped up out of nowhere. Katara leaned against the wall, panting hard, her chest rising and falling, her towel slipping lower (though by now she had completely forgotten the towel).

O

o

O

o

O

o

O

Zuko watched the waterbrat's chest rise and fall with her breathing and, most likely, her heartbeat. The towel inched lower, and Zuko pulled his eyes away, scoffing at himself in his mind. He gave all his mind over to his sense of hearing, withdrawing from the other senses, and waited. Finally, after a couple seconds which seemed to stretch on for centuries—eons, maybe—he heard it. The quick, completely even steps of someone running, someone who didn't really know it. And he also heard the erratic, uneven, confused footsteps of a follower.

He pulled the mask down.

He unsheathed the swords.

He ran out, almost silently, to stand in front of the earthbender and the waterbender.

He heard Katara shift in a shocked way before he returned his mind to all of his senses.

He spared a quick glance at the girls behind him—'_to make sure they were okay_'—and noted the wide-eyed, confused look on Katara's face and the concentrated look on the earthbender's.

And then Aang and Sokka—the follower, he assumed—appeared. Aang wasted no time, and the dull look in his eyes brightened for a moment.

The Blue Spirit blocked the gust of air with his swords.

This would be a piece of cake.

X

x

X

x

X

x

X

"_Run_," the voice said.

"Run!" Katara said.

Run Toph did.

Katara gave one more glance at the Blue Spirit—her enigmatic savior yet again, like a guardian angel.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Katara ran.

Into someone she did not expect to see.

Jet.

"Run," he said, twirling the lollipop in his mouth.

Katara felt a few points on her body be pressed, and her vision began to black, and she began to fall.

_No fair_, was her last coherent thought.


End file.
